


Rising to the Occasion

by 18lzytwner



Series: Tangled Series [2]
Category: Tangled (2010)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-08-16
Updated: 2011-08-16
Packaged: 2019-06-17 10:13:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 25
Words: 17,322
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15459084
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/18lzytwner/pseuds/18lzytwner
Summary: The King has taken ill, at first it looks like an isolated incident, until others in the castle start to come down with same thing. Can Rapunzel's secret stay a secret or will she be forced to expose everything when another villian comes? 2nd in series.





	1. Chapter 1

The sun shone brightly over Corona as it so often did, waking Rapunzel from her peaceful slumber.  She rolled over to find the other side of the bed empty and cold.  Immediately concerned, she bolted upright to look around.  Her father had been sick of late and if Eugene had left her sleep without telling her something had happened, she was going to be royally pissed.  She was about to get out of bed when Pascal tackled her, or well at least his size of tackling.

          “Pascal, what are you doing?”  She asked as she laughed.  He pointed to her with his tail and then to the bed, indicating she remain where she was.

          “I have to check on my father,” the brunette urged.  Many a time she had wished she was allowed to use her powers to make him well but she knew she could not for fear of discovery.  Doctor Caldwell had called in a friend of his he’d met at a conference in Germany before she had even known that he was sick.  The note had been delivered by carrier pigeon, the fastest form of mail they had, and she and Eugene had been touring the countryside after their month long honeymoon as their way of saying hello to the entire kingdom as Princess and Prince Consort.

          “Happy Anniversary Blondie,” Eugene walked into the room carrying a tray of food.

          “Oh Eugene,” she smiled in relief that he’d not been called away because of her father.  He’d in fact brought her to bed after she’d fallen asleep out in the hallway just outside her father’s room.  Neither Doctor Caldwell nor his friend, Doctor Lebowitz, knew if he was contagious and they were taking every precaution.  The Queen was effectively running the country and she’d been ordered to stay down the hall in one of the guest rooms until the King could be healed.

          “I thought we’d spend the day together and try to get your mind off things,” he smiled, setting breakfast down.  Rapunzel looked at the tray and marveled at the food.

          “That sounds lovely,” she leaned over and gave him a quick kiss.

          “More of that later,” he smirked as he handed her a plate with a couple of pancakes on it.

          “You can count on that.  We haven’t spent much time together since we got back and it’s hard to believe we’ve been married a year,” she nodded as she began to tuck into her pancakes.

          “Family is very important and we’ve needed to be elsewhere.  You’re mother has been kind enough to begin to show me the ropes should trouble arise.  I know we’re jumping ahead of my lessons but we need to be prepared,” Eugene smiled.  Silence fell amongst them until a drooling Pascal attempted to steal some food.

          “Hey now lizard,” the former thief gave a warning before pulling out a tiny serving size hidden behind the tea pot.  Immediately Pascal looked suspicious.

          “Dig in buddy,” Eugene gave the chameleon a reassuring smile and Rapunzel nodded to show her approval.  Sometimes she figured that he was still mad at her for leaving him behind on the honeymoon but to be fair she didn’t think he would have liked what the two of them had been up to anyway.  There was a knock on their door and immediately, Rapunzel got up and put in her robe to cover her nightgown.

          “Come in,” she called. 

          “Pardon the early morning interruption your Highnesses, but Doctor Caldwell needs to see you down in his office,” the guard said.

          “Oh no,” Rapunzel immediately feared the worst.

          “What about?”  Eugene asked.

          “To be honest, he didn’t tell me.  Said I needed to get you right away though,” the guard explained.  The former thief turned to Rapunzel and said,

          “You get dressed and I’ll head down there.”  She nodded and quickly ducked into the bathroom leaving Pascal to finish up his breakfast and tuck into the other food on the tray as fast as he could.  A few minutes later, Rapunzel emerged from the bathroom, stuffed the rest of her last pancake into her mouth and grabbed up her friend before heading down to see Doctor Caldwell.


	2. Chapter 2

“What’s going on?”  Rapunzel asked as she closed the door to Doctor Caldwell’s office.  Her mother, Eugene, and Doctor Lebowitz were settled into chairs near the Royal Physician’s desk.

          “I’m afraid we’re no closer to nailing down what ails your father but we seem to have a bigger problem,” Caldwell offered her a seat and she immediately took it.

          “That sounds ominous,” Eugene said.

          “It should be.  There is a guard who is displaying the same symptoms as the King,” Lebowitz told them.

          “But how is that possible?”  The Queen asked.

          “Apparently the illness manifests sometime after the person has been infected.  The worst of it is, is we don’t know how many people the King came in contact with before the illness manifested itself,” the Royal Physician said.

          “In other words…” Rapunzel trailed off.

          “We could all be infected,” Lebowitz said.

          “Good God,” the Queen shook her head.

          “That means everyone we’ve come in contact with could be infected,” Rapunzel gasped.

          “Yes and what’s worse, they’ve possibly given it to relatives and those relatives could travel outside the capital.  We need to lock this place down,” Caldwell said.

          “We’ll get out an announcement to seal the main gate and to have all physicians report to you,” the Queen told them.

          “No, that could unnecessarily infect those that are not infected.  We need to do something else,” Lebowitz shook his head.

          “What do you suggest?”  Eugene spoke up.

          “First, I suggest we get some leeches.  Next, we’ll take a sample from the King.  Once we identify what is in his blood stream we could then test everyone here for the virus.  At that point we can make a better determination,” Caldwell put the idea out there to see what his colleague would say.

          “Absolutely.  Meantime, I believe we should close the main gates into the city.  Tell people that no one can leave due to some sort of threat but do not tell them anything that will create mass hysteria.  When this gets out, and it will, we don’t need people agitated,” Lebowitz nodded.

          “I can say due to weather concerns we’re afraid of flooding,” the Queen suggested.

          “Brilliant!  That way when nothing happens you can claim it to be better to have been safe than sorry,” Caldwell nodded.

          “I’ll put it into motion,” the Queen stood up and headed out to find her speech writers while Rapunzel turned to Caldwell.

          “Can we talk?”  She asked.

          “Of course.  What is it Princess?”  He wanted to know.

          “In private,” she jerked her head to one of the exam rooms and he nodded.

          “Gunter, would you take Prince Consort Fitzherbert to begin the leeching?”  Caldwell wondered.

          “Yes, we need to get started.  Hope you have a strong stomach your Highness,” Lebowitz smiled.

          “I think I can manage.  Do we have to wear a mask or something?”  Eugene asked sure his bride was talking to the doctor about her powers and sure Doctor Lebowitz didn’t know anything about them.  The two left the room and quickly Rapunzel pulled Caldwell into the exam room.

          “If you’re thinking about your powers forget it.  Until this proves to be close to fatal or even fatal, we can’t risk it,” he shook his head concerned this was what she was going to ask him.

          “It’s not about that Doctor,” the brunette told him.

          “Do you not feel well?”  He was immediately concerned.

          “Well something is wrong because I missed something that should have come last week,” the way she phrased it, the doctor sat down.

          “Any cramping or pain of any kind?  Bloating?  Pimples breaking out?”  He asked.

          “No and that has me concerned,” Rapunzel confessed.

          “Give it another week.  If nothing happens then you and I will have to break the news to Eugene,” Caldwell said.

          “What news?  Is it something horrible?”  The brunette’s naiveté was showing.  _Obviously her mother hadn’t discussed what happens,_ the doctor thought to himself.

          “No, it will be wonderful.  It could mean you’re going to have a baby,” he told her.  To this Rapunzel went weak at the knees and collapsed on the floor.


	3. Chapter 3

It should have been a joyous moment, filled with excitement but instead all Rapunzel kept thinking about was how it was possible and what she was going to do.  Absentmindedly, her hand went to her hair that was no longer there.  Unable to twirl it like she used to her fingers went about doing something else which resulted in her twisting her dress until her fingers got so caught in it she had to take a few minutes to extricate them.  She thought about the doctor’s words.  Maybe things were running behind schedule.  After all, things had been stressful and when she got stressed her body usually did something that gave her a clue she needed to calm down.  Granted that usually meant she’d get some big ugly thing on the end of her nose that would need to be gotten rid of but maybe this time, it was that her cycle was late.  Needless to say with everything going on, now would have to be the worst time to find out she was pregnant.  Her only saving grace possibly being her powers which she hadn’t used in over a year.  She didn’t even know if they worked or how they worked if she still had them.

          “Blondie, you ok?”  Eugene asked, noticed his bride wasn’t eating dinner.  Her hands were hidden under the table and he wondered what was going on.  The Queen had taken dinner to the King and since she might be infected, she didn’t take “no” for an answer when the doctors protested so they sat with Pascal alone at the large dining table in the main dining hall.

          “Sorry, I guess I’m just preoccupied with what has happened today.  Have the doctors found anything out?”  She asked hoping he wouldn’t pry anymore.

          “I think they’re still working things out.  I have to say those leeches are quite disgusting,” he made a face before tucking a little more into the piece of meat on his plate.

          “I’m sure they are.  They don’t even sound fun,” Rapunzel replied.  Pascal shook his head.  He’d run into a few once or twice before he’d found Rapunzel and he knew for certain they weren’t nice.  Silence settled between them for a few minutes when she spoke up; her words almost a whisper.

          “Eugene, I…” he didn’t let her finish as he left his seat and crawled under the table.  When he appeared out on the other side near her, he stood, and pulled her up into a hug.

          “It’s going to be ok Rapunzel.  You’ll see.  The doctors will have this figured out in no time and we’ll all be enjoying each other’s company soon,” he tried to reassure her despite the fact that he was as unsure about the future as she was.  They just stood there in each other’s arms for a while before the chef ran in and shouted,

          “One of my staffers just passed out into the soup!”  Quickly Eugene let go of Rapunzel and dashed off to see if he could help and she followed.  They burst through the kitchen doors to find some of the staff attempting to help the man.  He’d been pulled out of the large floor standing pot of hot leftovers but his skin was all red and it appeared to Rapunzel that he was barely breathing.

          “Someone fetch Doctor Caldwell and stand back from him!”  She shouted.  They all looked at her like she was crazy but one of the staff ran off to find the doctor.

          “Why shouldn’t we help this man?”  The chef asked.

          “I don’t know about you but burns like that hurt.  Anyone gets near him and accidently bumps something they shouldn’t he could start screaming.  You want the entire guard down here in a flash, then fine but otherwise stand back,” Eugene quickly said, realizing what Rapunzel had meant and why they could not tell the staff about possibly being infected.

          Doctor Caldwell and Doctor Lebowitz burst through the kitchen doors and immediately went to the man on the floor.  The chef explained to them what happened and they looked at the man.  If not for the burns, his remaining skin was an odd color, much like the King’s was, worse still was the look of his eyes which were burned enough that they could not tell if the redness was from the illness or the burns.

          “Send for his family,” Caldwell said as he called for the guards.  Two rushed in and helped them carry the man back to the doctor’s office but Rapunzel could tell by the look on Caldwell’s face, the man’s chances weren’t very good.  This could be their opportunity.  She rushed after the group as they left before Eugene could stop her.


	4. Chapter 4

“I can’t let you do this!”  Doctor Caldwell protested as Rapunzel tried to push past him.

          “This could be our only opportunity!”  She argued.  He knew she was right and they both knew that Doctor Lebowitz was staring at them.  The German went to say something but at that moment, Eugene burst through the door to the doctor’s office and Lebowitz got the back of the door smacked into his head.  He crumpled to the ground and quickly Eugene scooped him up and put him into a nearby chair.

          “Good God!”  Caldwell couldn’t believe what just happened.

          “Do what you’re going to do and be quick about it.  The guards will be back with his family and who knows how long Gunter will be out,” Eugene tried to get him to focus.

          “Let’s just hope you haven’t knocked all those years of medical knowledge out of his head,” Caldwell shook his head and ushered Rapunzel into the room where the patient had been setup.

          “What should we do?”  The doctor asked.

          “Well the last time, my powers worked with a tear so we have to make me cry,” Rapunzel reasoned.

          “You can’t completely heal him though.  People will get suspicious,” Caldwell reminded her.

          “Well I’ve never tried a partial but if you want to burn him again afterwards be my guest,” the Princess shrugged.

          “All right, let’s just try it.  If we don’t do something quick, he’ll die anyway,” the doctor shrugged as well.

          “Ok, first step, I have to cry,” she looked down and say the work boots the doctor was wearing.  They were much clunkier than her petite slip on shoes.

          “Step on my foot, hard,” she ordered.  Caldwell looked at her like she was crazy.

          “That was a direct order,” she said.  He nodded and picked his foot up.  As it came down, he squeezed his eyes shut.  Rapunzel braced for impact and stifled a yell, by biting down on her lip hard, when the heel of his boot hit her toes.  Tears formed in her eyes and she quickly recited the magic words while letting her tears drip onto the dying man.  Slowly, Caldwell opened his eyes and watched to see if anything happened.  At first, it looked like nothing happened.  Then suddenly the man’s eyes opened.  He tried to speak but no words formed.

          “Take it easy now,” Caldwell went to his side and tried to reassure him.

          “His skin color has improved and the burns look less severe but…” the doctor trailed off.

          “What is it?”  Rapunzel asked, holding the damaged foot and rubbing it.

          “It doesn’t look like the infection is gone.  His skin is still an odd color and his eyes look like your father’s,” Caldwell shook his head.

          “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”  Rapunzel asked.  She never got an answer however as the man’s wife burst through the door, upon seeing she was pregnant, Rapunzel and the doctor panicked before quickly ushering her out of the room.

          “Why can’t I see him?”  The woman demanded.

          “He has contracted the disease the King has.  I cannot in good medical judgment, let you infect yourself and your unborn child,” Caldwell explained.  The woman looked as though she was about to faint and quickly the guards helped her to a chair.

          “I cannot raise this child by myself,” she was completely distraught.

          “We’re working toward a cure, I promise as soon as I know something, I’ll send word to you.  Now let me have a look at you, to make sure he hasn’t already passed it to you,” Caldwell told her.  She nodded and the guards helped her up and into a second private room.

          “What happened to Doctor Lebowitz?”  One of the guards asked; concerned to see the doctor out cold.

          “Apparently in Germany, they don’t teach people to stand away from doors,” Eugene shrugged.  This seemed to satisfy the men and they left, leaving Rapunzel and her husband alone.

          “We have a problem,” the former blonde said.

          “What do you mean?”  Eugene asked.  Rapunzel quickly explained what had happened and the former thief shook his head.

          “Can you contact Soley?”  He whispered.

          “I don’t know,” Rapunzel shrugged.


	5. Chapter 5

Rapunzel paced anxiously in the doctor’s office.  She needed to get Soley to talk to her but she wasn’t sure how, short of standing out in the moonlight and attempting to heal someone.  Needless to say, they did not need to add to their troubles and there had to be a better way.

          “You’re making me dizzy,” Doctor Lebowitz said.  He’d finally come around a few minutes ago and now was trying to get the pain in head to quiet down.

          “Sorry,” the Princess apologized and sat down.  She immediately stood back up when Doctor Caldwell exited the private room where the kitchen staffer was being kept apart from the others.

          “How is he?”  She asked.

          “Well he’s better but I fear he doesn’t have much time left.  He’s breathing is labored and he keeps fading in and out of consciousness,” the doctor shook his head.

          “What about the leeches?  Have they given any clues?”  Eugene wanted to know.

          “Well whatever has infected the humans, kills the leeches,” Caldwell shook his head again.

          “Which means that in all likelihood, the illness will eventually kill those that are infected,” Lebowitz shook his head this time.

          “What are our options?”  Rapunzel asked.

          “Well I think the first thing we must do is assume our burn victim to be patient zero.  He appears to have had it the longest, as his system seems to be suffering from the shock of the burns worse than most burn victims I’ve seen,” Caldwell said.

          “He gets it, passes it to my father, and then he passes it to the guard.  Ok but that doesn’t explain how his wife is immune,” Rapunzel pointed out.

          “It’s quite possible she does have it.  I’ve had her contained to their quarters on the palace grounds.  She may not have any outward symptoms but that doesn’t mean she couldn’t spread it,” Caldwell let them know.

          “He’s right.  She could be the epicenter of this,” Lebowitz nodded and immediately regretted it as the pain returned to his head.

          “Then we get to know everything about them.  Research their every move since birth if necessary,” Eugene suggested.

          “A wise course of action, Prince Consort Fitzherbert,” Caldwell smiled.

          “Hey I’m not just another pretty face,” the former thief smirked.

          “No you’re my pretty face and you’re coming with me,” Rapunzel grabbed his arm and they headed toward the door.

          “Where are you going?”  Lebowitz asked.

          “To tell my mother.  Get the guards to sniff out what they can about this couple,” she replied as the two exited the office.

          “Are we really going to see your mom?”  Eugene wondered, knowing that look on her face.

          “You are.  I’m heading down to the water.  I might have an old friend who I can contact,” she winked and he nodded.  Placing a quick kiss on her lips, he dashed off to find the Queen while Rapunzel headed over to the former secret tunnel entrance.  She didn’t have any idea how to contact Soley’s brother, Oseyan, but she figured going for a swim couldn’t hurt.  She slipped through the castle with ease as most of the staff had returned home and the guards were few and far between.

          Slipping outside, she went under the large tree near the water’s edge.  She dipped her toes into the icy water and a shiver went up her spine.  _Here goes nothing_ , Rapunzel heaved a deep breath and slowly walked out into the water.  Suddenly bubbles started to form on the surface and she didn’t know if she should run or hold her ground.  Something brushed up against her leg and she did all she could to hold in her scream.  Then something tugged on her leg and in an instant she was sucked below the surface.


	6. Chapter 6

Meanwhile, a kingdom away, there sat an old wizard up in a tall tower, guarded by the dragon allies of his most hated enemy.  He stared out into the black of the evening trying to focus on freeing himself from his bonds.  If he could somehow get out of there, he could warn those in danger.  However his enemy was clever and the chains that bound him to the floor in the center of the room had been enchanted.  No spell could break them and his physical strength was nowhere near what it needed to be to break free.

          “You know no matter how much you stare, it won’t help you escape,” a voice from behind made him whirl around.

          “Why is it that you keep me here, Malik?”  The good wizard asked.

          “Because despite your old age, you can be very dangerous and we can’t have you running off to help those who I’ve enchanted,” his foe replied.

          “There is some other part to your plan isn’t there?  Otherwise why keep me alive?”  The chained man wanted to know.

          “Well first off, I like to see you suffer, and secondly, you’re absolutely right.  I have bigger plans for you,” Malik smirked.

          “I wish you’d get it over with,” the old man said.

          “Now what fun would that be?  Enjoy tonight’s supper.  Tomorrow night is a full moon and then I will end you,” the evil wizard told him as a plate of what looked like slop was brought in.

          “Lovely,” the imprisoned man shook his head.

          “Good night Merlin.  Enjoy your last night on this Earth,” Malik smirked and left the room, leaving the servant to watch the wizard eat.  Over the course of the last several nights, this simple girl of about twenty had spoken with the sorcerer about many different topics and her often smiling face was a welcome change from his surroundings.

          “So what do we have tonight?”  Merlin asked.

          “Venison stew.  I wished I’d been able to cook it awhile longer.  I’m sure the meat is probably not done enough,” she sighed.

          “Amelia, whatever shape it is in, I’m sure it’s fine,” the old man took a seat on the stool he’d been left and she leaned up against the wall.

          “You’re too kind, sir,” she smiled.

          “It seems this will be our last dinner together,” he’d officially given up.  Tomorrow Malik would undoubtedly perform a spell which would suck his powers away from him.  Without them, Merlin would wither and die.

          “You can’t say that,” Amelia looked distraught as he tucked into his stew.

          “I’m afraid so,” Merlin swallowed and took a sip of the ale she’d given him.  He then watched as she walked toward the door.  It had been locked behind her, as usual, but in the torchlight under the door she could see the guard had left his post.  He took another spoonful of stew and thought it felt heavy but put it into his mouth and immediately his teeth came in contact with something metallic.

          “What have you been putting in this stew?”  He asked, spitting it out, and rubbing his jaw.

          “What any good kitchen maid should, keys,” she smiled a big smile that crossed her face and showed off her dimples.  Merlin smirked.

          “And how do we get out of here?”  He asked.

          “Well I paid off the guard by telling him, I needed some privacy tonight; told him to be back in an hour.  So I think we’ve got at least another half an hour before he starts heading back up the stairs,” she told him as she loosened his bonds.

          “Privacy?  Paid him off how?”  The wizard was concerned she’d done something she shouldn’t have.

          “I told him that if he let me do this that I’d let him do whatever he wanted.  He’s been eyeballing me for some time so I knew that was my way in,” Amelia just shrugged it off.  Merlin knew from the scars he’d seen on her forearms that she’d been abused when she was younger.  It was a shame at her young age that she would be ok with offering herself up.

          “All right, let’s go,” she smiled and laid the last of the chains down quietly on the floor.  They both made it to the door and she opened it a little to peek out.

          “This is going to be tough.  We’ve got at least thirty stairs before there is a place to duck into.  There is a secret passageway out of here but we’ll have to wait until dawn to make our escape.”

          “The dragons,” Merlin nodded as he grabbed his wand off the wall.  Malik thought he was being clever by putting it out of reach and making it practically useless but he’d pay for it now.

          “Exactly.  They hide during the day so that will be our best shot of making it to the forest before the sun is fully up,” she said as she opened the door and quickly began the descent to the landing they needed to make.  Merlin followed swiftly and they were able to make it.

          “Now we need to get to the second door on the left,” she whispered as she looked around.  Most of the castle was enjoying the dinner party Malik was throwing so their footsteps sounded like a herd of cattle on the floor.  However, they made it safely to the room and she locked the door behind them.

          “That’ll buy us some time.  Now down through the trapdoor.  You first,” she insisted as she moved the carpet out of the way and exposed the door to their escape.  Merlin pulled the metal handle and slipped into the dark tunnel that was only about two feet high.  He pulled out his wand and cast a spell to light their way.  Amelia pulled the carpet, up as far as she could before ducking in herself.

          “We have to go about a fifty yards before it widens and we can walk.  Meantime, get crawling,” she urged and they set off to find the wide open space.  They crawled in silence until they were able to stand.

          “Now where do we go?”  Merlin asked.

          “Now we wait.  The dragons will no doubt be called in to search for you.  About a hundred feet ahead there is a human sized hole they will not be able to get through.  They’ll probably belch fire to make sure they’ve fried anyone who is back there so when the search is called off, we’ll make our move,” Amelia nodded.

          “Very good.  Then I guess I’d better transform back,” Merlin said.

          “Transform back?”  She was confused.

          “Merlin was my father’s name.  He usually referred to me as Junior,” the wizard smiled and used his wand to reveal a much younger man in his thirties.  He didn’t get much of a chance to say anything else as Amelia leapt into his arms, planting one on him.  He froze and she immediately pulled back.

          “Sorry I don’t know what came over me,” she shook her head and tried to get him to let her go.  Instead he pulled her close and kissed her.

          “Never apologize,” he smiled when they parted.


	7. Chapter 7

Back in Corona, Eugene raced about the castle searching for Rapunzel.  She’d been gone for almost thirty minutes and he was starting to get concerned.  Daybreak was not far away and if she was not found soon, people would start to ask questions.  Questions he had no answers to.

          “Prince Fitzherbert, you should be in bed,” one of the guards said as he walked speedily by.

          “Cramp in the calf,” Eugene lied.

          “Ouch,” the guard nodded and let him continue down the hallway.  The former thief turned the corner and ran smack into his bride.  She was soaked and she smelled.

          “Good gravy!”  Eugene burst out.

          “Shhhh…” Rapunzel clamped a hand over his mouth.

          “Mmpojagbhf vnvnhvovvw,” he tried to speak but it came out as gibberish and she slowly removed her hand.

          “Where have you been?”  He asked trying not to gag.

          “Just get me to our room and I’ll explain everything,” she promised.

          “I’d be turned on if you didn’t smell so bad,” he teased.  Rapunzel laughed and they made sure to go the long way to their room.  Eugene promised to get some water for her bath and Rapunzel started a fire in the fireplace to heat the water up.  Once she had done that, she stripped off her dress.  It smelled awful and no amount of beating against a rock was going to fix it so the dress along with her underthings went into the fire.  Slipping into the bathroom, she waited for Eugene to return. 

          “I’ve got the water heating,” he said as he walked into the bathroom some ten minutes later.

          “Good because I’m getting cold,” she shivered in the metal tub.

          “Where are your clothes?”  He asked.

          “They were beyond saving, I just burned them,” the brunette said.

          “Good call.  No why don’t you explain to me what happened?”  Eugene prodded.

          “I will but first go check on the water.  If it’s boiling, I’m going to be freezing my butt off waiting for it to cool down,” once again she deflected.  He was about to object but the smell was killing him so he went out and checked the pot.  Rapunzel let out a sigh and absentmindedly placed her hand on her stomach.  Granted it would be awhile before anything would show and maybe it was still a fluke but more and more her heart told her to be prepared.

          “We’re all set.  Just warm enough so as not to burn you,” Eugene said when he entered the room a few minutes later.

          “Fabulous,” Rapunzel smiled as he careful poured some water into the tub.  She grabbed some sweet smelling soap and started scrubbing.

          “All right spill,” the former thief had lost his patience.

          “The reason I smell like dead fish is because I was swallowed by the Kraken.  He transported me to Oseyan who in turn promised to pass my message along to Soley.  However he warned me that we may be on our own for this.  If my powers could not reverse the sickness then there is a good chance that the sickness was caused by more powerful magic,” Rapunzel explained.

          “More powerful magic, meaning…” Eugene paused.

          “Meaning that if we cannot break the spell ourselves, all is lost.  My father will die just as that servant will,” tears formed in her eyes and immediately Eugene did what he could to calm her.

          “We’ll figure this out.  We always do,” he said.

          “I want him to be here.  I only just found him and now he could be taken away before he even gets to meet his grandchild,” the words just flowed out, her emotions getting the best of her.

          “Grandchild?”  Eugene asked.


	8. Chapter 8

While Eugene struggled to comprehend what his wife just told him, Merlin and Amelia fought their way through the forest.  They had a long way to go and the wizard’s legs felt like they were on fire.  He went from barely able to move at all to running for his life.

          “We have to slow down,” Amelia said, heaving trying to get more oxygen to her lungs.

          “I would imagine by now Malik has realized where we’ve gone and that we’re both still alive.  He’ll be sending men after us,” Merlin told her.

          “Point,” she nodded.

          “Place to hide?”  He jerked his head toward what looked like a cave opening covered in vines.  She shrugged and they aimed their legs for it.  Once inside, Amelia slumped to the ground and rubbed her knees.

          “Bad joints?”  Merlin asked.

          “My father had bad knees.  I’m afraid I’ve been cursed with that,” she nodded.  As she rubbed her skirt moved to reveal scars on her shins.  Merlin felt like asking about them but he refrained as he could hear something.  He put his finger to his lips and Amelia nodded.  There were dogs barking in the distance.

          “They’ve picked up our scent,” Merlin shook his head, keeping his tone low.

          “Can’t you use your magic to throw them off?”  She whispered.

          “Malik will sense it.  It would just put us in more danger,” he said.

          “Then perhaps it is best we split up.  They can’t catch both of us,” Amelia offered.

          “I’m not letting you go.  You and I both know what will happen if they catch you first,” Merlin shook his head.

          “Your mission is more important.  You have to leave me and my bad knees behind,” she protested.

          “I won’t do it,” he told her.  He pulled her to her feet and then to him.

          “We’re in this together, you and I.  We’ve come too far to not give you the life you deserve,” with that he kissed her and then they pushed deeper into the cave.  The barking grew louder and Merlin hoped for a way out of the cave but as they moved deeper into the cave the air became stale and the light almost nonexistent.

          “Stop here,” he whispered as they got behind a large protrusion in the cave wall.  They both froze as the sound of the dogs was now followed by hoof beats. 

          “Where are they?”  Malik demanded of his men.

          “The dogs lost the scent,” one of them said.

          “Then they are here somewhere.  Spread out and find them,” the warlock ordered.  The men and dogs fanned out and it was only a matter of time before they found the cave.

          “You there!  What are you doing in Corona?”  An unfamiliar voice demanded an answer from Malik and his men.

          “We are hunting.  This is a crime?”  Malik didn’t get very specific with his answer which told Merlin that he’d managed to run into soldiers wearing the colors of Corona.

          “It is if you’re in this country illegally,” came the reply.

          “Well then we’ll be on our way.  Which way to the border?”  The fact that Malik was giving up so easily, made Merlin uneasy.  There was either a large amount of men out there or there were very few and he intended to kill them and continue on. 

          “Follow the trail until you reach the two large boulders.  There is the border.  Be sure to stay on your side of it,” it was at that point, Merlin recognized one of the voices.  He slowly crawled toward the mouth of the cave and Amelia followed.  They watched as Malik and his men headed back toward the border and the massive group of soldiers stayed steady on their mounts. 

          “This is our chance to catch a ride back to the capital,” Merlin said as he slowly emerged from the cave.

          “There you are,” one of the men dismounted and came over to Merlin, embracing him in a large hug.

          “It is good to see you my friend.  How exactly did you know we were here?”  The wizard asked.

          “When I saw Malik, I kind of guessed.  Who is this lovely young lady?”  The man wondered.

          “Amelia, this is my good friend Aldwyn, cousin of Amr, son of Arthur, King of the Britons.  Aldwyn, this lady saved my life,” Merlin introduced them.

          “It is an honor, milady.  Now would you like a ride back to the capital?  My guess is that the Queen will be most pleased to see you,” Aldwyn smiled.

          “Lead the way my friend,” Merlin smiled.


	9. Chapter 9

Breakfast was a quiet affair at the castle as the Queen hadn’t left her husband’s side and once again, Rapunzel, Eugene, and Pascal were left on their own for breakfast.  The kitchen continued to operate as usual despite the fallen worker and the chef brought out breakfast into the main dining room for the three.

          “How is he?”  The chef, Pierre, asked after serving up the meal.

          “I’m afraid it doesn’t look good.  The doctors are trying everything,” Rapunzel smiled slightly.

          “Oh his poor wife.  To be with child and to have your husband dying, it’s just so terrible,” the cook continued on.

          “Do you know if he has any family we can contact?  Someone needs to be here to help her,” the Princess said.

          “Rafe never talked about his family.  He would just talk about his wife, Susan, and the baby,” Pierre replied.

          “How long has he been working here?”  Eugene asked.

          “About six months,” the chef answered.

          “And they never mentioned where they came from or their family?”  The former thief wanted to know.

          “I asked but he always referred to it as though we wouldn’t know where it was and he always avoided family questions,” Pierre told them before excusing himself to check on lunch preparations.

          “I don’t like the sound of that,” Rapunzel said.

          “Me neither.  It usually means they are criminals on the run.  Been there done that,” her husband shook his head.

          “My mother hires the kitchen staff after Pierre has run them through the ringer, are you questioning her judgment?”  The brunette asked.

          “Absolutely not.  I’m wondering if she knows more than she’s telling us.  Why else would she hire Corona’s newest citizens?” Eugene wondered.  Rapunzel saw what he meant and nodded.  If the man was in fact patient zero than the chances her father had been exposed to him grew if the Queen hired them for a reason.  She was about to go find her mother and leave breakfast behind when Aldwyn entered the room.

          “Your Majesties, I have some people you need to meet,” he said as he bowed.

          “Aldwyn, you really must stop calling us that.  You are a Lord in your country and our equal,” Rapunzel smiled as she approached him and gave him a hug.

          “You are most kind but a title is still a title,” he smiled as Eugene shook his hand.

          “So who did you bring us?”  The former thief asked.

          “Merlin, son of _the_ Merlin, and his lovely assistant Amelia,” Aldwyn smiled and opened the doors to the main dining hall to reveal a man in his thirties and a woman in her twenties.  They were disheveled but his smile could light up the room and her dimples gave her a look of someone in love.  Rapunzel had seen that look on her own face many times.

          “What brings you to Corona, Merlin and Amelia?”  She asked after introductions were given and seats at the table had been taken.  Pierre brought out more food and the guests happily tucked into it.

          “War, to be perfectly honest.  Once Malik finds out we’re here, it will only be a matter of time before he tries to come for me,” Merlin explained in between mouthfuls.

          “And we should shelter you because…” Eugene was starting to worry.  It was obvious that these two had not eaten in a while. 

          “Because I can stop what is coming.  I already know how Malik intends to ruin Corona, I just hope I’m not too late,” the wizard said.

          “What is coming?  I’m not sure if you’ve heard but we’re having a little bit of a crisis of our own.  My father is ill and whatever it is, it is spreading throughout the castle.  We’ve locked the gates for fear it has already spread outside our walls,” Rapunzel told him.

          “Malik intends to weaken Corona with a virus.  It is possible that he’s already planted the seed.  I must see all those who are sick immediately.  I may be able to reverse the damage done,” Merlin stood from his seat.


	10. Chapter 10

“We believe this poor kitchen worker to be the start of our troubles here in Corona,” Rapunzel said as they entered the patient’s room.

          “I really must insist for your own well-being that you stay back in the doctor’s office,” Merlin told her.

          “I’ve already exposed myself to him.  It is too late for precautions now,” the Princess shook her head.  Eugene chuckled at her phrasing and Amelia tried to hold it in.

          “You’ve been exposed, got you,” Merlin gave them a look which only resulted in Amelia turning away and Eugene gagging on his own laughter. 

          “Maturity levels people,” Doctor Caldwell chuckled at the two who were obviously picturing the Princess naked.  Only one of which would have actually seen her naked but the other having been a servant most of her life probably had a good idea what was going on.  Rapunzel on the other hand was a tad clueless and she and Merlin left the two to their giggles.

          “So what exactly is going on?”  She asked once they closed the door to the patient’s room.  Merlin not wanting to have to explain, skipped her improper phrasing, and moved onto the sick man.

          “Well the virus is something that was intended to be spread to the troops.  First from the kitchen in the King’s food, then onto the King who would spread it to the men he met with on commanding the troops.  Once the commanders had it, they’d spread it to those whom they directly commanded who would spread it to the ones beneath them and so on; eventually infecting the entire military force of Corona.  At that point Malik would swoop in with his armies and dragons and take over,” the wizard shook his head.

          “Dragons?”  Rapunzel couldn’t believe it to be true.

          “They swore their allegiance to Malik after he promised them safety in his kingdom.  Well it wasn’t actually his kingdom.  They helped him steal it.  Now he intends to expand and Corona was next on the list,” Merlin explained as he investigated the sick man’s condition.

          “Something is odd here,” he commented as he looked the man over.

          “How so?”  The Princess asked, getting a little nervous.

          “The energy coming off of him; I expected to find nothing but evil due to the spell cast on this poor man but there’s something else there,” it was at this point, Rapunzel hoped she could keep her secret just that a secret.

          “Someone in this kingdom has magical powers,” Merlin finally spit it out.

          “I can assure you, if they do, I don’t know who it is,” the brunette said.

          “Don’t take this the wrong way but you’re a terrible liar,” the wizard smirked.

          “What do you mean?”  She swallowed hard.

          “Well it’s either the doctors or yourself, seeing as they are the only ones who have been tending to this man,” Merlin pointed out.  Rapunzel had left out the part about the burns and had hoped that it would be enough to protect her but things were headed south.

          “We’ll worry about the magical person later.  Right now I need you to hold him down.  The spell I’m about to cast may hurt,” the wizard told her.  She nodded and put her hands on his shoulders.  Then speaking in a foreign language, that Rapunzel did not understand, Merlin cast the spell.  The man shook violently and moaned.

          “Hey what’s going on in there?”  Eugene’s voice came through the door and they both ignored it as the man thrashed about.  Merlin kept uttering the words and the man continued to thrash until the wizard’s voice rose to a fever pitch and he shouted.  The last word left his lips and the man opened his eyes.

          “How are you feeling?”  Merlin asked, hoping his magic had done the trick, as he tested the man’s forehead.

          “Where am I?”  Rafe wanted to know.

          “Safe in Corona,” Rapunzel told him.

          “Where’s Susan?”  He asked.

          “She’s safe here too,” the Princess reassured him.

          “How are you feeling?”  Merlin pressed again.

          “Tired,” Rafe nodded and went to sleep.

          “Hmmm….” The wizard puzzled.


	11. Chapter 11

While those in Corona waited anxiously for the results of the spell to become obvious, back in his stolen lands, Malik paced the floor in the castle’s throne room.

          “He had help!”  He shouted at the guards who were waiting for their next instruction.

          “My Lord, we know that it was one of the servant girls, Amelia.  She has not been seen since that night,” his second in command, Robert, explained.

          “What of the guard who was supposed to be watching the door?”  The warlock demanded.

          “He’s in the cells, awaiting punishment but really he cannot be blamed for this entire affair,” Robert said.  Malik stormed over to the man and glared at him.  At six foot five, Malik towered over Robert who stood at about five feet ten inches.

          “What do you mean?”  Robert could feel his boss’ hot breath on his face, the smell of dinner on his breath.

          “Merlin and Amelia were locked in the room.  Somehow they escaped without using magic as you would have sensed the use of it.  Somehow they got keys,” the shorter man told him.  Malik backed off and continued pacing.  There was another mole somewhere in his staff.

          “We move up our timetable then.  Have your men pack tonight.  We leave at dawn,” the wizard ordered.  Robert nodded and quickly turned around.  The man standing at the door opened it for him and followed him out.

          “So what do you think?”  Amelia asked from her seat inside the doctor’s main office after an hour had passed and Rafe had not awoken.

          “I think until he wakes up, I don’t want anyone going near him.  If the spell fails, he will die and continue to spread the disease.  Princess, you said that you believed his wife could be infected as well?”  Merlin stopped the pacing he’d been doing for the last half hour and turned toward Rapunzel.

          “Yes, Doctor Caldwell had has her isolated from the rest of the group.  I believe he and Doctor Lebowitz are visiting with her right now,” the brunette nodded.

          “I shall like to visit with her.  It is quite odd how the spell is working,” the wizard said.

          “What do you mean?”  Eugene asked.

          “Well normally a sickness infects everyone it touches in one way or another, I’m sure Doctors Caldwell and Lebowitz have explained this,” Merlin hoped he was right.

          “They have and Doctor Caldwell said that some people wouldn’t get sick but would carry the virus around,” Rapunzel nodded.

          “Right but that would make every other person who has come in contact with one of the sick people a carrier as it were.  That is physically impossible,” the wizard explained.

          “That means the spell Malik cast was a target spell.  He told the virus to only attack the kitchen worker, the King, and anyone wearing a military uniform,” Amelia filled in the words no one had wanted to say.

          “Exactly, which makes him all the more dangerous.  A spell of that caliber is not one that an everyday schmuck can cast,” Merlin shook his head, not liking the turn things had taken.  Eugene looked to Rapunzel who looked incredibly relieved.  She looked to him and gave him a smile which made him smile.  The possibility of becoming a father had frankly scared him.  He wasn’t a role model that was for sure and he had no idea how he and Rapunzel could bring a life into this world and give it life lessons.  She’d been a shut-in and he’d broken the law more than once and in very big ways.  However he could tell she was scared too.  Pascal had been all excited and he would guard the baby with his life so there were no worries there and that had seemed to calm Rapunzel.  Perhaps the scared feeling was more nerves than anything else.

          “Earth to Eugene, wake up Eugene,” Rapunzel teased him and he snapped out of it.

          “Come on, we have to go talk to the wife,” she told him.


	12. Chapter 12

 

          “Susan!”  Amelia couldn’t believe her eyes at the woman who sat before her.  The very pregnant woman got up and hugged her friend.

          “Amelia, it is so good to see you,” Susan smiled.        

“You know each other?”  Merlin asked, slightly confused how they would have bumped into one another.

“Yes, we used to work with one another for Malik,” Amelia explained.

“Back up, how is that possible?” Eugene wanted to know.

“Well the keys I used to help us escape came from Susan.  That must mean the patient at the doctor’s office…” she trailed off.

“Rafe is terribly ill and I don’t know how he got so sick.  Doctors Caldwell and Lebowitz can’t seem to find anything wrong with me or the baby but without him, I…” tears were starting to well up in her eyes.

“I’m working on getting him healthy again but I need to know how you managed to leave Malik without getting caught,” Merlin paused and turned to Rapunzel and Eugene to explain.

“One does not leave Malik’s castle unless you go out in a body bag.  He keeps his inner circle very tight.”

“Rafe and I escaped one night after my shift in the kitchen.  I had found out that I was expecting and we both agreed that we wanted a better life for our child.  Our quarters were located on the castle grounds but Rafe worked outside the castle doing roadwork.  He decided the only way out was to claim he needed to return to the jobsite with a cart, as he had left some equipment that should have not been left out.  The guard let him pass with me hiding in the cart.  He pushed me in the cart until we were far enough away so as not to be seen, and then we left,” Susan told them.

“That doesn’t explain how Rafe got sick,” Merlin pointed out.

“Well all the men in his crew at work had been called to the doctors the day before.  They were told that they needed a physical,” the pregnant woman said.

“And they happened to inject Rafe with the virus and you escape the next day?  I don’t like that,” Eugene shook his head.

“Neither do I.  It seems your husband made a deal with the devil,” the wizard heaved a sigh.

“He would not have done so unless it was absolutely necessary,” Amelia said.

“Why did you come to Corona?  Of all the places you could go, why here?”  Rapunzel asked.

“It was the closest city with a doctor.  This is our first child and we have no family to seek help from,” Susan was getting upset.

“My guess is that the doctor you saw told Malik of your situation.  He knew that the possibility of you trying to leave was high and that whether your husband left or not, he would pay with his life but I’m not willing to give him the entire benefit of the doubt unless I can speak to him,” Merlin pointed out.

“It would make it tough to trace back to him.  Then while Corona’s back was turned he’d attack,” Eugene nodded.

“Exactly.  My guess if he hasn’t left the castle already, he will at dawn.  By nightfall tomorrow, he will be at the gates,” the wizard didn’t like their chances. 

“The duty falls to me to lead the men into battle with the King out of commission.  I need to call the Generals together and we need to prepare for war,” Eugene said.  Rapunzel turned to him; the look of fear on her face was unmistakable.

“Eugene…” the name dropped off her tongue quietly and he pulled her to him.

“I must do what I am expected to do.  I must protect Corona and her citizens,” his words were brave but inside, his head was screaming for him to run.

“Then I’m going with you,” the brunette said.

“Not this time Blondie,” he shook his head and gave her a chaste kiss before leaving the room.         


	13. Chapter 13

“I mean no disrespect but what do you know about war?”  General Paul DeWitt asked Eugene after he filled the group in before him.  They met in what the King called his “War Room”, which was basically a smaller version of the study.  War had been something that Corona had not had to deal with in a very long time.

          “I don’t know anything but you do.  I’m sure you can make good decisions for Corona’s defense and I want to learn,” the Prince Consort explained.

          “Better late than never,” General Timothy Boles laughed.  The group chuckled and even Eugene joined in.

          “What do we know about our enemy?”  General John Webster wanted to know.

          “He has magical powers but we have Merlin,” Eugene turned and pointed to the wizard who had thought it wise to join the former thief in his endeavor.

          “Malik is a vicious, brutal man who will not hesitate to kill innocents, including women and children.  My first suggestion would be to round them all up and find a good place for them to hide,” the wizard said.

          “We can evacuate the city.  We have enough time if what you say is true about him arriving at nightfall tomorrow,” General DeWitt told them.

          “I hope so as we’ve already hit tomorrow.  That only gives us about ten hours of daylight to do what we need to do,” Eugene pointed to the position of the moon out the window.  The church bell in the village chimed once, indicating it was one in the morning.

          “Should we begin now?”  General Boles wondered.

          “Chaos would ensue.  Waking people out of a dead sleep to grab what they can and board ships bound for the mainland will not end well,” General Webster countered.

          “Does Malik have ships?  Can we use the water to our advantage?”  DeWiit asked.

          “We’ll need the water to put out the fires.  Malik has a contingent of dragons at his disposal.  He will use them to smoke you out as it were,” Merlin shook his head.

          “Good God,” Boles shook his head.

          “I thought all the dragons were killed,” DeWitt said.

          “He offered them protection and they took it.  A wise decision if they wanted to stay alive but Malik will use them to do his worst and then use his troops to clean up the mess,” the wizard explained.

          “Do we have any hope of winning?”  Webster wondered.

          “I will do what I can to help but in the end, it will depend on how many men you have and what kind of weapons there are,” Merlin said.

          “We can use the cannons on the ships and the catapults at the palace walls.  We have archers who can light hot tar and we can pour it into the streets.  We can burn the menace out if need be,” Boles told him.

          “Draft every man you can.  Get the women and children out and prepare for war,” Merlin nodded.

          “What about the King, the Queen, and Rapunzel?  They need to be moved out of harm’s way,” Eugene said.

          “He brings up a good point.  The King is still very ill and if there is to be a Corona after this, we will need them to be safe,” Webster told them.

          “They must leave with the women and children.  It would be the best way,” DeWitt nodded.

          “I must tell you all something before I join you in the battle,” the Prince Consort now had all eyes on him.

          “You must promise to take special care of Rapunzel for me if something should happen to me.  I will do what I can for Corona but you must promise me that,” Eugene continued.

          “We will make sure she is protected…” Boles started but he was cut off by Eugene.

          “You must promise me that you will not tell anyone that she carries my child.”  The four men nodded and then the group began to split up.  General Webster gave him a pat on the back and said,

          “Let’s get you fitted for battle.”


	14. Chapter 14

Morning had dawned bright as always in Corona despite the circumstances and with the evacuations underway, word had spread quickly about the coming war.  Now at the city’s main gates, men streamed in to see what they could do to protect the kingdom.  General DeWitt manned the gates to ensure all was being done properly.

          “We heard you were in need of men with weapons,” Hook-Hand said to the General as he approached him.  Behind him came the rest of the Pub Thugs. 

          “That is true.  Hope none of you are afraid of death,” DeWitt told him.

          “If it’s for the Princess, then we’re up for it,” Hook-Hand smirked.

          “Despite all that happened not so long ago?”  The General wondered.

          “What’s done is done.  I’d rather be pounding skulls in than reliving the past,” the thug said.

          “Well then you’ll get your wish.  Prince Fitzherbert will be addressing the troops shortly.  Head for the large tent in the middle of the city for your uniforms,” DeWitt nodded.

          “All right, you heard him!  Get a move on!”  Hook-Hand shouted to the other thugs and quickly they all marched to the tent.

Back at the Palace, Eugene was trying to explain to Rapunzel why things had to be the way they were.  However he wasn’t gaining much ground.

          “I should be here to help!  I could do so much good!”  She protested.

          “Blondie for the last time, you are going out on that last transport with your father and your mother.  It will be safer and should we fail, you will be needed to rally those who were not here.  Corona must survive and the only way it does that is by you staying alive.  If something happened to you and our baby, I’d never forgive myself,” Eugene tried to make her understand.  
          “I’m not so fragile!”  Rapunzel said.  Her husband sighed and pulled her close, putting his hand over her stomach.

          “But this little one is,” he smiled and pulled her in for a kiss on her temple.

          “Pascal will be going with you.  He’s under strict orders to keep you safe and I’ll be riding Maximus into battle, now you couldn’t ask for more than that,” he continued.

          “I can’t handle this.  If something happens to you…” she paused.

          “Know that I love you and that a little piece of me with always be with you.  Now you have to go,” Eugene smiled slightly and gave her a quick kiss before leaving the room for the balcony.  He had his announcement to make after all.  Rapunzel heaved a sigh, knowing he was right.  Quickly she went off to meet her parents for a trip to the mainland and safety.

          “What do you think you’re doing?”  Merlin asked as he stood in Amelia’s doorway.  She had been given a guest room to try to get some sleep in.

          “I’m putting armor on, why what does it look like?”  She wanted to know.

          “You were supposed to leave already, for your own safety,” he said.

          “No way.  We’ve been through a lot together already; I’m not leaving you now,” she was firm.

          “What exactly can you do?” Merlin changed the subject as he moved closer to her.

          “It may not look like it but I’m pretty good with a bow and arrow.  I’m going to join the archers at the walls,” Amelia told him.

          “When did you have time to do learn that?”  The wizard wondered.

          “Malik likes his servants trained in something, which is surprising because you would think not but my guess is that he figured we could be used as bait.  Fat lot of good being archer is in hand-to-hand combat,” she shrugged.

          “My guess is that anything to protect himself.  He rather you die than some of his men.  I’m not like that.  You don’t have to fight,” Merlin pointed out.

          “I don’t but I will.  Even if something goes horribly wrong, I’ll at least have tried to help.  We may not have been together long but we can go out together,” she smiled slightly.

          “That’s depressing and yet somehow romantic,” he smirked and pulled her in for a kiss.  They were interrupted by the sound of a horn being blown, signaling Eugene’s announcement.  Quickly, they grabbed Amelia’s equipment and headed out.


	15. Chapter 15

“Good people of Corona, I know what has been spreading around has most of you concerned.  You have every right to be, what we are about to face will be something most of us have never faced before and hopefully never will again.  I know that most of you find it disconcerting that I am about to lead us into battle but I promise you to do the best I can do to protect this great city.

          “Now this is the plan.  I need all available archers at the Palace walls.  All those good with a sword or an axe, report to General Webster.  Sailors report to Admiral Oates.  The rest of you report to Generals Boles and DeWitt.  It is an honor to be serving with you today.  Godspeed and good luck,” Eugene finished his speech and disappeared back into the Palace.  The men dispersed with little fanfare and almost no words between anyone.  Eugene had done little to dispel the rumors of dragons and this to most meant that they were just not rumors.  The Generals and the Admiral prepared everyone for battle as the forces of Malik drew near.

          “Let me ask you something,” Eugene turned to Merlin once he was inside the palace.

          “What is on your mind?”  The wizard asked as they started to head toward the stables.

          “How exactly are we going to defeat the dragons?  I mean we can catapult flaming things all day long and they won’t be affected by them,” the Prince Consort said.

          “Well I figure all we have to do is kill one of them.  When the others see that, they may turn tail and leave,” Merlin told him.

          “May?”  Eugene asked.

          “Well if they don’t then they will come after us with more rage than you’ve ever seen and we’ll all be dead,” he was frank and the expression on his face did not change.

          “Good to know,” the former thief swallowed hard and adjusted the chin strap on his helmet.  The royal armory had contained an old coat of armor that had once belonged to the King when he was younger.  The fitter had managed to tighten it on him but Eugene felt incredibly uncomfortable and could barely move.  So after they took it all off, he went with something more along the lines of a Palace Guard uniform which wasn’t as tight but still didn’t allow completely free movement.  He slightly clinked as he walked and that bothered him.

          “You want to know how we’re going to kill a dragon?”  Merlin asked after they had fallen into silence.

          “I do actually since it might be the last thing I do,” Eugene nodded.

          “I found a weapon in the armory that would do the trick and with any luck, we can aim it appropriately but the dragon needs to get close,” Merlin explained as they exited the Palace and headed toward the stable.  He pulled out a sketch from his coat pocket of a large arrow mounted on what looked like a large crossbow.

          “Close?  How close?”  The former thief wanted to know.

          “About a hundred yards ought to be close enough,” the wizard shrugged.

          “Oh that makes me feel so much better as they can still scorch me to death from there,” Eugene said.

          “Well I’m hoping that they only go for you.  If we clear the way and you head out of the city, Malik will send a dragon to retrieve you.  After all he needs you dead if he is to take over.  Now if you and Maximus are out on the bridge, we can use the weapon and kill the dragon before he has roasted human and pony for dinner,” Merlin said this all with a straight face and Eugene nearly passed out.

          “You’re nuts,” he said.

          “I’d prefer to think of it as crazy as a fox.  Besides with my magic there is no way, we’ll miss,” the wizard said confidently.

          “Oh you better not or I’m coming after you in the next life,” Eugene said.


	16. Chapter 16

They did not have to wait long as the sound of footsteps grew.  The marching of thousands of men rang out through the normally peaceful countryside.  Men straightened themselves up, boys quivered in their boots, and Eugene had this funny feeling like he had to go to the bathroom.  Fear had never been an option before but when faced with a situation that almost guaranteed death, things changed.

          He shifted his thoughts to Rapunzel and the baby he might never see.  It made him smile to think of them living out their lives safe somewhere outside the grasp of this terrible wizard.

          “It’s time,” Merlin interrupted his thoughts.  Mounted on a trusty steed by the name of Winston, the wizard rode off toward the Generals with Eugene and Maximus right behind.  He delivered the plan to them and they strangely did not object.

          “I knew they didn’t like me,” the former thief quipped.

          “They see it as you sacrificing yourself for the good of the kingdom.  I imagine they are glad you are braver than they,” Merlin said.

          “Nice.  Try to butter me up,” Eugene chuckled and then took his place, to lead the foot soldiers.

          “Your Highness!  They come this way with horses and multitudes of men!  What do we do?”  A frightened teenage boy asked him as he worked his way through the crowd.

          “We show them what Corona is made of.  We show the world that we aren’t afraid even if that’s exactly what we are,” Eugene smiled slightly.  The boy nodded and the former thief turned to face all the men.

          “We cannot let them through the gates!  Admiral Oates has ships in attack position.  Archers have been placed at the walls.  The main gate has been fortified.  We will win this day by the strength of our resilience and our…”

          “Capability to run?”  One soldier posited.

          “That too,” Eugene nodded which sent nervous laughter through the crowd.

          “We have the wizard on our side!”  Another soldier shouted.

          “Merlin will do what he can to save us but we need to help him.  One man cannot stand alone against an army.  Be strong, be brave, and pray that our royal family survives this disaster.  The kingdom cannot go on without the King, the Queen, and the Princess,” the Prince Consort told them.

          “What of you sir?  Can they go on without you?”  One man wondered.

          “They never really liked me anyway.  Their daughter picked one of the worst men to go out with.  A father’s worst nightmare,” Eugene smirked.  More laughter went through the ranks.

          “Look!”  A soldier shouted.  A dragon loomed up out of the distance.

          “That’s my cue,” Eugene said.  He dug his heels into Maximus and started heading for the gate.  From up on his perch next to the large crossbow, Merlin saw the move.

          “Get it into position men.  We only get one shot at this.  If we can drive the dragons away then we can destroy our enemy,” the wizard said.  The men nodded and quickly removed the cover and positioned it.

          Below Eugene opened the gates.  He could see what must have been Malik at the head of his troops.  They were approaching the bridge.

          “It’s now or never Maximus.  You ready?”  Eugene asked.  The horse snorted and the Prince Consort dug his heels in.  They raced out onto the bridge and the dragon moved in their direction.  Their speed was no match for the magical creature and it soon loomed above them.

          “Rapunzel forgive me,” he said as the dragon barreled down on them talons extended.

          “Fire!”  Merlin ordered the men beside him and they let loose the giant arrow.


	17. Chapter 17

Everything passed as if in slow motion.  Eugene watched as the dragon’s talons came within mere inches of his leg.  Maximus let out a loud whinny as one of the talons gouged his hide.  Then Eugene felt the water hitting him and he could feel how cold it was.  He tried to gasp for air but found nothing but water.  Slowly his mind slipped away and his thoughts turned to his wife and unborn child.

          Merlin stood on his perch and watched the horror unfold beneath him on the bridge.  He quickly removed his wand from his sleeve and cast a spell which propelled him to what remained of the damaged bridge.  The job had been done and the dragon slain but now along with the Prince and his valiant steed, the magical creature plunged to the bottom of the ocean.  Inside, Merlin cursed the fact that a dragon had to be killed.  There were so few left but only those who knew what an asset they could be would mourn the loss of the creature.  Plunging into the deep, cold water, Merlin searched for the heroic duo. 

          Admiral Oates released dinghies with men in an attempt to help but kept a watchful eye on the massive army which waited on the other side of the bridge.  They had not moved and the remaining dragons had not fled as Merlin thought they would.  Perhaps they were all waiting to see what happened next or maybe they were stunned by what had occurred, either way it wasn’t looking good.

          The Generals watched in horror as the Prince and his horse fell into the ocean but could do little to stop it.  They quickly ordered the archers to prepare to fire.  The catapults and the men stationed at them, who were already at the ready, quivered as if in anticipation of what needed to be done.  The enemy’s path was partially cut off thanks to the dragon crashing through the bridge but that didn’t mean they wouldn’t try to form an assault.

          “Look!”  Someone shouted and all eyes that hadn’t been looking at the enemy turned to the bridge where Merlin, who was now dripping wet, stood holding Eugene and trying to get back inside the gates.  A few of the soldiers broke rank and rushed to help him.  Once inside the gates, Merlin commanded,

          “Stand back!”  He cast a spell and the army looked at the Prince as he coughed and sputtered back to life.

          “Medic!”  General Webster shouted and quickly a doctor ran forward.  As the doctor checked the former thief out, Webster turned to Merlin.

          “Is the dragon dead?  What of Maximus?”  He asked.

          “The dragon is dead and Maximus was whisked off to the boat.  He’s hurt but he’ll survive,” the wizard explained.

          “Why do they hover?”  Someone shouted out, pointing at the dragons.  Merlin turned and looked at the remaining bunch.  They were waiting for something, what he did not know but he got a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.

          “Prepare yourselves!  Malik has his claws into them more than I thought!”  The wizard shouted.  Quickly the men at the catapults put their hand on the levers.  Merlin turned back toward the gates and using his magic opened the doors.  The enemy still stood in its original place.  Malik was not a timid man and Merlin knew that he had something up his sleeve and just as the wizard was about to yell for the catapults to fire, the dragons turned tail and left, their treaty with Mailk no longer valid.  With a smirk, Merlin nodded to General DeWitt and the General nodded back.  The order was given and the catapults opened fire on the enemy across the bridge.


	18. Chapter 18

Explosions could be heard in the distance from their safe hiding place in the woods, a few miles away from the capital.  The little tent city was set up in a hurry and with little regard for privacy but it would keep them out of the wind and the rain and that was all that mattered.  Inside the Royal’s tent, Rapunzel continued to pace as she could not sit still, thinking of Eugene and all the men left behind.

          “You must sit down dear, you’re making us all dizzy,” the Queen said and Pascal nodded in agreement, his little eyes were wearing down.

          “I should be there with him!”  She protested.

          “Absolutely not!  He is doing what he needed to do and you must be here for him when he returns.  Sometimes that is all you can do.  If your father is to pass on, it will be up to me to rule what is left and it will be left to you after I’m gone,” her mother said.

          “It won’t matter if I have this baby without him!”  The words slipped from her mouth and immediately she wished she had them back.

          “Baby?”  The Queen looked happy but sad at the same time.

          “I haven’t had the doctor confirm it yet but we talked and it’s a possibility.  And even if that’s all it is, is a possibility, I want Eugene and Father to be here for him or her,” Rapunzel said.  Her mother arose from the log she sat on and enveloped her daughter into a hug.

          “To think how much you’ve grown in such a short time,” the Queen was tearing up.

          “Mother, I couldn’t have done it without Eugene.  I owe him a lot for bringing us together,” Rapunzel smiled slightly.

          “We both do.  He’ll do what he can and I’m sure he’s doing nothing but thinking of you,” her mother smiled back as they pulled apart.  More explosions sounded in the distance and Rapunzel just hoped he was still in one piece.

          Back in the middle of the battle, Eugene was dazed and still recovering from practically dying but it didn’t stop him from helping the men in their attempt to protect Corona.  The bridge was blown up so the enemy could not cross without getting into the water and Malik countered by enchanting his archers’ arrows, giving them the distance to carry and the catapults enough force to cross the large distance.

          “We could go on forever this way.  Perhaps it’s time for Plan B,” Merlin said as he helped Eugene and one of the catapult crews load a catapult. 

          “What’s Plan B?”  One of the men asked.

          “I go out there and I challenge Malik to one on one battle,” the wizard told them.

          “Are you crazy?  He’s dirty.  You said so yourself,” Eugene said.

          “Yes but if it stops the bloodshed, then it would be worth it,” Merlin argued.

          “And if for some reason you don’t make it?  That leaves us down a wizard and defenseless against that massive force,” the former thief challenged.  

          “Well I’d like to think I could do better than that,” Merlin said.

          “I’ve got a plan,” Amelia suddenly appeared from her post on the Palace Walls.

          “What are you doing down here?”  Eugene asked, afraid that they were one short at the walls.

          “Can you draw Malik out into the open and keep him occupied?”  She wondered.

          “Easy.  Why?”  Merlin wondered.

          “I’ll take him out,” the former servant lifted her bow.  Eugene looked at Merlin and the wizard looked back.

          “Let’s do it,” Merlin nodded.


	19. Chapter 19

Merlin walked towards the main gates.  There was only about three feet of bridge that remained after his little stunt with the dragon and he hoped that would be enough to keep him from harm’s way.  It wasn’t that he doubted Amelia’s aim but that once she let the arrow fly she had no control over it.  He had seen the look in her eyes before she walked away from him, in search of a high perch to hide.  The other perch they used for the giant crossbow was now useless.  It didn’t give her many options but maybe it gave enough.

          The wizard opened the gates and then closed them behind him.  Eugene shook his head as he watched the brave sorcerer go.

          “I hope he knows what he’s doing,” Hook-hand said.

          “I hope you’re right,” Eugene told him as they loaded the catapult.

          “Fire when ready boys,” the former thief told them.

          “Yes, sir!”  With that the boulder was let loose.

          “We’re running low on boulders.  Any suggestions?”  Vlad asked.

          “In the old days my grandpa said they used dead livestock,” Hook-Hand said.

          “I don’t have any of that laying around and I’m not about to make any,” Eugene told them.

          “What about cannon balls?”  One of the soldiers suggested.

          “Not sure they would hit the enemy but I like where you’re heads at.  Who is the tensioner?”  Eugene asked.

          “I am sir,” a burly man stepped forward.

          “Can you adjust these to fire cannon balls?”  The Prince Consort wondered.

          “Wouldn’t be worth half a salt if I couldn’t,” the man said proudly.

          “Then convert this one and the one on the end.  The middle two will fire boulders,” Eugene smiled.

          “Yes, sir,” the man quickly got to work but before he was able to complete his task, there were shouts to cease fire.  Eugene looked at General Webster who shrugged and looked to General DeWitt who in turn pointed to the main gates.  The Prince Consort told the tensioner to continue with his task.  Should this attempt fail they would need to be ready.

          “Malik!  You coward, come and fight me!”  The challenge had been issued.  Silence fell, everyone listening for the reply.  It came as Malik used his magic to float himself to the bridge.

          “Did you not think I could take you?  You are as weak as your father,” Malik smirked, thinking he’d already won. 

Up on her perch, Amelia cursed at him, hoping he’d get out of the way.  Merlin was blocking her shot and she could not take the chance he’d get out of the way in time.  She kept her bow at the ready and prayed her opportunity would come soon.

          “My father died ten years ago in an epic battle between good and evil.  His death secured Arthur’s final victory.  You, I seem to remember, were running with your tail between your legs,” Merlin gave him his own smirk.  The evil wizard stepped back, a look of confusion on his face.

          “Oh I’m sorry.  You thought you had the great Merlin, Protector of Arthur and great Wizard of Camelot.  Instead you got me,” the son of Merlin continued to smirk, “and I’m more powerful than my father.”  With that he conjured a spell that blasted Malik squarely in the chest, he was unprepared for it and it knocked him backwards.

          From up on her perch, Amelia saw her opportunity.  She aimed her arrow and fired.  Once.  Twice.  Three times in rapid succession.  The arrows sailed through the air on a direct course for her target.    


	20. Chapter 20

Time seemed to slow as the arrows headed for Malik.  Eugene realized he’d been holding his breath and that he for some reason he wasn’t about to let it out.  The arrows landed, one, two, and three.  Amelia’s aim was pretty good as the first arrow stuck the warlock in the stomach, the second was a little higher hitting his liver, and the third arrow drove itself into the pavement, tying Malik’s cloak to it.  Merlin quickly dropped to his knees next to the dying man as Malik gasped for breath.

          “Doesn’t feel so good does it?”  Merlin smirked.

          “You… bastard…” Malik managed to breathe.

          “I’ve avenged my father and all those you’ve made suffer.  Now how do I lift the spell off of Corona?”  The younger man wanted to know.  Malik spit at him out of defiance and with that last motion he passed from this world into the next.

          “May there be no mercy for you,” Merlin stood and waved to Amelia who immediately retreated down to the troops below.  Then he loudly proclaimed,

          “MALIK IS DEAD!!”  Cheers went up from the Coronians while the troops across the bay could not believe their master was truly gone.  They stood there unsure of what to do.  Merlin turned to the Generals and said,

          “Burn his body and collect the ashes.  Do it quickly.”  Immediately the General got their men to build a pyre out of whatever wood was laying around from damaged buildings.  Hay from the stables was thrown onto the wood and the body along with it before it was ignited using hot oil and a torch.  While they were doing that, Merlin used his magic and landed at the troops across the water.

          “You are free now.  Go home and live your lives as you wish to live them,” he said to the man who stood at the head of the troops.

          “Go home to what?  We had nothing and the only thing we did have died with Malik,” the man was angry.

          “Surely you can go back and turn Malik’s terrible kingdom into one of peace and prosperity.  You can lead them,” Merlin told him.

          “Me?  I lead the army.  I know nothing of peasant life,” the anger diminished somewhat but behind his eyes there was a fire Merlin easily identified as fear.

          “The unknown is whatever you make of it.  I have no say in the political process here in Corona.  The King is sick and I must heal him.  Then we can work out the details,” the warlock explained.

          “Very well,” the man nodded.  Merlin nodded back and cast a spell propelling him over the broken bridge and back to his comrades.

          “So how’d it go?”  Eugene wondered.

          “They are completely on their own.  Fear more than anything I think.  Well I think we need to start the healing process.  I must get to the King and the other sick people,” the warlock said.

          “I agree.  We’ll get things cleaned up and I’ll go introduce myself to the newest members of the Coronian Empire,” the Prince Consort smiled.

          “Newest members?  Ummm…” Merlin wasn’t sure where this was going.

          “Well we can’t leave them out in the cold can we?”  Eugene winked.


	21. Chapter 21

“Incoming!”  A shout went up from the soldiers, who had been left to protect the group of women and children, as the sounds of something crushing through the underbrush reached their ears.

          “Archers assemble!”  Colonel Rostov commanded as he left his tent.  They quickly formed rows and prepared to fire when a cry went up.

          “It’s Merlin!”  The wizard was smiling, on top of a horse he’d borrowed for the trip, until he saw the rows of archers who had not lowered their weapons.

          “At ease gentlemen!”  The Colonel ordered upon seeing the warlock for himself.

          “Good to know you were on alert,” Merlin said.

          “Better to be alert than dead,” Rostov responded.

          “Very true.  I bring good news.  Malik is dead.  We have won the day,” the young man smiled.

          “Excellent news but how exactly did you defeat the dragons?”  The Colonel wondered.

          “Very long story but I promise that once I take a look at the sick, I’ll tell you,” Merlin explained.         

          “Of course.  Right this way.  We quarantined them off.  Seems as though despite being reassured they were not contagious, people wanted them away from the camp,” Rostov told him as he lead them to the medical tents.

          “Not everyone is comfortable with magic, especially since as I understand it, the Princess told everyone her story,” the warlock nodded.

          “Some view magic as being good enough to save the Queen but bad enough to keep our Princess from us, despite the fact that it wasn’t really the fault of magic for the Princess’s kidnapping,” the Colonel said.

          “Sorcery when in the wrong hands can be very dangerous, so I do not blame them,” Merlin gave a slight smile as they entered the tent.

          “Merlin!  It is good to see you.  I take it all went well?”  Doctor Caldwell asked.

          “As well as could be expected.  How about you?”  The wizard wanted to know.

          “Well so far I haven’t lost anyone, but the King, I fear he doesn’t have much time left.  His breathing has become very shallow.  I called the Princess and the Queen to come as soon as they could,” Caldwell explained.

          “I was hoping with the death of Malik, he would get better on his own,” Merlin frowned.

          “I’m afraid that was not the case.  We’ve almost lost Rafe several times.  Luck would seem to be on our side as I was able to keep him alive,” the doctor said.

          “Well then we must work quickly.  Take me to the King,” the wizard instructed.  Quickly the doctor led him to the sick monarch and Colonel Rostov went back to his troops.

          “Has he woken up at all?”  Merlin asked as they approached the sleeping King.

          “No.  He still comes in and out.  I haven’t been able to fully awake him,” Caldwell said.  Merlin puzzled for a few moments before beginning to speak in a strange tongue that the doctor did not understand.  The King gasped as the wizard finished and he opened his eyes for a moment before lapsing into unconsciousness.  The doctor quickly checked the King’s breathing as Rapunzel and the Queen entered the private portion of the tent.

          “He’s not breathing!”  Caldwell exclaimed.


	22. Chapter 22

Before anyone could react, Rapunzel did the only thing she could think of, and began to cry.  Confusion ensued as she grabbed her father limp body and recited the well-known verses,

          “Flower, gleam and glow...

Let your power shine...

Make the clock reverse...

Bring back what once was mine...

Heal what has been hurt...

Change the Fates' design...

Save what has been lost...

Bring back what once was mine...

What once was mine...” everyone froze as a golden light encircled the King and his breath returned.

“Ok, you have some explaining to do,” Merlin looked at Rapunzel as she squeezed her father in a great big hug.  The Queen followed suit and Doctor Caldwell looked around the room.  It was certain that the Princess’s magical abilities would be out in the open now.  The Colonel had left but the nurses and other staff had seen what had just occurred.

“As do you.  That spell killed the King,” Caldwell said to the sorcerer, hoping to shift the focus of the room off Rapunzel.

“It should not have.  Malik must have used a spell that could not be healed using regular magic.  I would say, we are all incredibly lucky that the Princess seems to have a gift,” Merlin told him.

“Rapunzel, I’m sorry but we are going to need your skills again,” the wizard said, turning to the Princess.  Rapunzel let go of her father and looked at both her parents.

“You cannot take back what is already done.  Go and help the others,” her mother smiled at her.  With a quick nod, she stood and turned to Merlin.

“Lead the way,” she smiled.  He nodded and they quickly went about the same process which had saved the King for every sick person in the medical tents.

“Well I think that’s everyone.  Now how about you explain to me, what the heck happened in there?”  The wizard asked.

“I would love to but I’m afraid I’ve done something I should not have.  The moment the world finds out about my secret…” she trailed off and Merlin could see the concern in her eyes.

“I think there may be a way around that,” he smiled and rushed to find Doctor Caldwell.  Luckily the man had had the sense to tell everyone who had seen the incident that they must remain for a debriefing by the Princess herself and had separated them to a large portion of the first aid tent. 

“What you have seen is something fantastic, I will admit but you must let the Princess explain herself.  She has had to keep her secret for the best of the kingdom.  You must realize that if more people knew…” the good doctor was cut off by Merlin.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, if I could have your attention for one brief moment,” it was then that the powerful wizard cast a spell.  The room filled with bright white light and for a moment everyone stared at each other.

“We thank you for your service to those that were sick.  Now it is time to get everyone back home.  Please begin cleanup and moving procedures,” Merlin filled the eerie silence with instructions and the crowd dispersed.  The wizard turned to Doctor Caldwell and snapped his fingers.  The Doctor looked at him and went,

“What just happened?”

“Later my friend.  Now remember what you have been told and keep it close to your heart,” it was then that everything came back to the doctor.

“You should warn a man before you do things like that,” Caldwell said.

“Good to see you back.  The patients won’t know what happened and the Princess’s secret should be safe.  I’ll tell her and then we’ll get a move on.  The sooner we return everyone to the capital the better,” Merlin smiled.  The doctor nodded and quickly got to work.


	23. Chapter 23

As dawn broke the following day, ships began to land at the city docks and citizens began to unload.  They were shocked by the devastation of the city but they slowly made their way to their homes and took stock of the damage that needed to be repaired.

          “Eugene!”  Rapunzel shouted to him from across the throng of people and he turned.  Everyone moved off to the side as she raced into his arms.

          “Blondie!  I’m so glad to see you’re alright.  Aren’t you glad you stayed with your folks?”  He asked before kissing her soundly on the lips.

          “I am,” she gave him a wink while Pascal gagged from his spot on her shoulder.

          “Where’s Max?”  She asked, suddenly realizing that the horse was not there.

          “We have doctors helping him out.  He’ll be fine,” he gave a slight smile.

          “Sorry to interrupt but the boat is ready,” General DeWitt said to Eugene.

          “Yes of course.  I’ll be right along,” the Prince Consort smiled before turning to Rapunzel.

          “I’m about to head over and offer our former enemies to join Corona.  Want to come with?”  He asked.

          “Absolutely but don’t you think that is a job for my father?”  She wondered as the King walked up to the very confused Eugene.

          “It is good to see you sir,” the former thief bowed.

          “Nonsense boy!  Come here!”  The King pulled him into a hug.

          “Good to see you too,” Eugene smiled.

          “I am back to rule the kingdom but I believe it only right that the people across the way see the man who spared them and who helped them be free.  Go and take Rapunzel.  I’ll get General Boles to fill me in,” the King winked and left them.  Quickly the Princess and the Prince Consort went to the ship and General DeWitt welcomed them.

          “So how would you like to play this?  Overbearing overlord or Kind-hearted twit?”  He teased.

          “Hmmm… that’s a good question.  How should I play this?  After all they already had an overbearing overlord and I can’t exactly look like an idiot like the one I am so….” Eugene smirked.

          “I think you earned the respect of the people and the men you commanded yesterday.  You show them that Eugene and we shouldn’t have a problem,” DeWitt smiled.  The former thief nodded as the short trip ended by the ship beaching upon the shore.

          “Ready?”  Eugene asked Rapunzel.

          “Born ready,” she smiled as they started to disembark.  The people who had attempted to destroy the city began to draw closer to the boat intrigued at who it could be.  They had managed to setup up tents and fend for themselves during the night and that was a good thing to see.

          “Who is in charge here?”  General DeWitt asked.

          “I am,” a big burly man, who had met Merlin earlier, stepped forward from the crowd. 

          “Good.  My name is Prince Eugene Fitzherbert and this is Princess Rapunzel.  We’ve come to welcome you to the kingdom of Corona if you wish to join us.  Our gates are always open and our kingdom is one of peace,” Eugene stepped forward.

          “That is a kind offer but what do you wish in return?”  The man, who had still not introduced himself, wanted to know.

          “Simply that you live as you wish inside the law and that you pay taxes like every other citizen, no more, no less,” he nodded.

          “And you will treat us like that despite what has happened?”  The man raised an eyebrow.

          “You had no choice.  We understand that,” Eugene smiled. 

          “Very well.  We accept your offer,” he extended his hand and Eugene shook it.

          “Excellent,” the Prince Consort smiled.


	24. Chapter 24

Later that evening, after the new citizens of Corona arrived at the capital city, a big feast was to be held in their honor.  The King had invited the men of rank up to the palace while the rest of the troops enjoyed a full course of food on the palace grounds.

          “Greetings warriors!  I am the King of Corona and this is my wife and Queen.  Welcome to our fair city,” the King smiled as he and the Queen met the men at the front door of the palace.

          “Thank you your Highness.  We gratefully accept your invitation to dine with you.  I am General Matthias.  Next to me are my trusted friends, Colonel Balin and Major Thorin,” the big burly man from earlier introduced himself.

          “It’s very good to meet all of you.  Please follow us,” the Queen gave them a smile.  The group got underway and soon the military men were enjoying the scenery.

          “You have a marvelous palace, your Highness,” Matthias smiled as they walked through the palace towards the main dining room.

          “Thank you very much.  I have no doubt you will turn Malik’s old palace into a symbol of the people.  After all, you will be the governor,” the King smiled back.

          “I think that we will tear it down and use the blocks to build homes for everyone.  As it stands the buildings are falling apart and the harsh winters will certainly make life very difficult in them,” the General said.

          “Winter is a short time away.  You will need help if you are to complete such a task,” the King replied.

          “We can manage by getting everyone inside the palace once the snow flies,” Matthias brushed off the King’s concern.

          “Nonsense.  I know some builders who would be very happy for the work and I can pay them.  What say we meet with them tomorrow?”  The King asked.

          “That would be fabulous sir but you need to repair the damage done to the capital city,” Colonel Balin spoke up, surprised at the generosity they were receiving.

          “This is a big kingdom and we have friends far and wide.  It will be no trouble at all to have help from our allies.  Now that you are our allies, the same treatment applies,” the King explained as they walked through the doors of the main dining room.

          “Where is Rapunzel?”  The Queen asked as they entered the room.

          “She was helping Amelia pick something to wear,” Eugene smiled as he rose from his seat at the table.

          “Ah I see and Merlin?”  The King asked.

          “Right here your Highness.  I was just engaged in talking with my good friend Aldwyn and lost track of the time,” the wizard smiled and quickly took a seat next to Eugene.

          “You know Aldwyn?”  The King was surprised.

          “He is the cousin of Amr, son of Arthur, King of the Britons.  My father helped Arthur protect Camelot.” Merlin explained.

          “Arthur was a good man and a great King,” Matthias nodded.

          “You knew Arthur?”  Merlin was astonished.

          “My father fought for him and he would always tell me the great deeds done by Arthur.  I served under Amr until he asked me to search for Merlin, son of Merlin.  My travels took me far and wide, you were a hard man to track down and just as I was about to meet you, Malik intervened.  I was captured by his men and imprisoned.  My mission was top secret so when I did not return to Camelot and did not send letters, I am sure my King was forced to move on,” Matthias explained.

          “Then I must travel to Amr and tell him what has happened.  He will no doubt want to hear the news I have to tell him,” Merlin nodded.

          “Indeed.  I should like to make the trip with you but I now have a family and a town to look after,” Matthias said as everyone began to take their seats.

          “I think it’s time for Rapunzel and I to go on another trip,” Eugene spoke up.

          “How so?”  Major Thorin asked.

          “After all, I have not yet met Amr and I would very much like to.  Merlin will need travelling companions and I believe the King has everything in hand here.  Besides someone needs to give the King a formal invitation to see his former soldier in action,” the former thief smiled.

          “I would be very grateful,” Matthias said.

          “For what exactly?”  Rapunzel walked into the room, with Pascal on her shoulder.  The men in the room stood as she took her place next to Eugene.  Behind her walked in Amelia in a dress she borrowed, a pastel blue with long sleeves to hide the scars on her arms.  Merlin stood there amazed at the sight before him.  He had never seen Amelia in anything flattering and now his tongue refused to work.

          “Lady Amelia, it is good of you to join us.  I have heard a lot about you,” the King smiled.

          “Thank you your Highness but I’m afraid I am but a simple girl who has been a servant for most of my life.  Please do not give me a title I do not deserve,” she hung her head and quickly took a seat next to Merlin.

          “I think the title most worthy of a woman of your stature,” the wizard smiled.

          “And I think dinner is served,” Eugene quickly changed the subject.


	25. Chapter 25

Over the next few weeks, things began to come together in the kingdom of Corona.  Builders were sent to follow Matthias and his men back to their town and progress reports were flown via pigeon to the King every few days.  The bridge that connected Corona’s capital city with the rest of the world was slowly being put back together.  The homes that were damaged were well on their way to being fixed and a sense of normalcy was returning.

          “Winter will be here in two months; do you think everything will be finished?”  Eugene asked the King, as they watched the work being done from the palace balcony.

          “I’ve told the builders that the bridge is to be completed above all else.  The winters around here are not a time to be trying to cross the water.  The trees offer protection and a source of firewood.  I have had Admiral Oates fetching firewood so that if we get hit early, there won’t be a shortage.  With any luck they will finish before the first snow flies.  In about a month’s time, if they are too far away, we will need to enact some sort of backup plan,” the King replied.

          “I agree,” the former thief nodded.  Silence fell between them and neither spoke for a little while.  Before when silence would fall between them it was almost unbearable now it was more comfortable.

          “Son,” the King started, pausing for a moment.  After Malik’s defeat, the King had taken to calling him that more frequently.  At first it concerned Eugene but now he just rolled with it.

          “I want to thank you for all you did while I was incapacitated,” the words slipped out as if he was trying to get it out before his brain told him it was a bad idea.

          “The kingdom needed me.  Rapunzel needed me.  I just did what anybody would do,” Eugene smiled.

          “I have to admit that when Rapunzel came back to us and she brought one of the most hunted criminals in the kingdom with her, I panicked.  It was good to have her back and for that I was forever grateful but I could not bring myself to believe that you had changed until the whole incident with you saving my life when Gothel reared her ugly head again.  If there were any doubts in anyone’s mind, they were wiped away with your actions a few weeks ago.  I am proud to have you as a son in-law and proud to consider you my son,” the King said.

          “Thank you sir,” Eugene smiled slightly.  Their manly conversation was interrupted as the balcony doors opened.  Rapunzel walked out into the sunshine and could not stop smiling.

          “I take it your visit with Maximus went well,” the King said.

          “He’s practically healed and ready for action,” she smiled as Pascal did a little boxing routine on her shoulder.

          “Good to see the frog is happy about it,” Eugene teased.  That earned him a tongue lashing from Pascal, who practically poked the former thief’s eye out.

          “Pascal, you can’t do that to him anymore.  He may want his eyes when the baby arrives,” she teased.

          “The good doctor confirmed it then?!”  Eugene was ecstatic.

          “You will be a proud Poppa in about seven months!”  She squealed and he pulled her in for a kiss.

          “Congratulations you two!  Have you told your mother?”  The King asked.

          “I wanted to tell Eugene first.  She’s next on the list,” Rapunzel winked.

          “Then we must tell the whole kingdom.  No doubt everyone will want to know.  We’ll have to send word to Merlin,” the King smiled.

          “Yes we will.  I hope that he and Amelia are making out well in Camelot,” the Princess said as they headed inside.

          “Well we were but King Amr has graciously allowed us to join Corona in celebrating the new additions to the kingdom, provided we come back with him when he visits in the spring,” Merlin answered her question as he and Amelia walked up the staircase leading to the balcony, hand in hand.  They were quickly given hugs and handshakes and invited to dinner which would be beginning shortly.  They chatted and walked toward the dining room when Merlin pulled Eugene aside as the others headed in.

          “What’s up?”  Eugene was confused as to why he had been pulled from the pack.

          “I intend to ask Amelia for her hand but I’m kind of well nervous,” the wizard confessed.

          “Nervous?  You?  Are we talking about the same guy who defeated the dragons and the warlock?”  The former thief teased.

          “Not funny,” Merlin said.

          “Tell her how you feel, that worked for me.  Of course, being madly in love helped.  You just need to pull yourself together and rise to the occasion.  What is she going to say? No?” the Prince Consort asked.  For that he got a punch to the arm and the two men went into the room for dinner. 

**The End**


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